Abstract

Pregnancy is associated with significant changes in maternal hemodynamics, which are triggered by profound systemic vasodilation and mediated through the autonomic nervous system as well as the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Vascular function changes to help accommodate an increase in intravascular volume due to blood volume expansion associated with pregnancy while maintaining the efficiency of ventricular-arterial coupling and diastolic perfusion pressure. The heart undergoes physiological (eccentric) hypertrophy due to increased volume load and cardiac stroke work, whereas the functional change of the left ventricle remains controversial. There are changes in cardiac electrical activity during pregnancy which can be detected in the electrocardiogram that are not related to disease. Sympathetic activation is a common phenomenon during uncomplicated pregnancy and may be a compensatory mechanism induced by profound systemic vasodilation and a decrease in mean arterial pressure. Despite marked sympathetic activation, vasoconstrictor responsiveness is blunted during uncomplicated pregnancy. There are race and ethnic differences in maternal hemodynamic adaptations to uncomplicated pregnancy, which may be attributed to differences in socioeconomic status or in prevalence rates of cardiovascular risk factors.

Notes

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Dr. Satyam Sarma for his constructive comments and suggestions on this chapter.

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